King 'honoured' to be appointed Ireland captain

Erin King has been appointed Ireland Women’s captain ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations by Ireland head coach, Scott Bemand.

The seven cap back-row forward succeeds co-captaincy duo Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon in the role. Aged 22, King has recently returned from a knee injury that kept her out of action for eight months and forced her to miss last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup.

In a short career King has made a big impact for her country. In 2021 she made her debut for Ireland’s Women’s Sevens on the HSBC World Series (now HSBC SVNS Series) and competed at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Shortly after making her Test debut for Ireland against Australia in 2024, she starred for Bemand’s team at WXV 1 in Vancouver and was named that year’s World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year.

King said:“It is the ultimate honour to be asked to captain Ireland for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations. I love playing with this team and representing our country alongside a special group of team-mates, and now to have the privilege of captaining the side is a hugely proud moment for me and my family.

“I have experienced a difficult year coming back from a serious knee injury, during which I wondered whether I’d ever have the opportunity to pull on the green jersey again, so to come back and be asked by Scott to take on this responsibility is the highlight of my career.

“I will do my upmost to represent the team on and off the pitch with respect, dignity and the determination required of the title, doing all I can to help us grow and achieve our potential moving towards this Championship and beyond.

“Although I am still young in my career, I will relish the challenge ahead and know I will have incredible support all around me, not just from the leadership group, but from Sam (Monaghan) and Edel (McMahon), from whom I have learned so much about leadership and the qualities required to represent our country and the jersey on the world stage.”

King was one of 37 players that took part in an Ireland Women’s training camp at the IRFU High Performance Centre this week as preparation for the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations began.

Her first game as captain will come at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 11 April when Ireland are hosted by Women’s Rugby World Cup winners, England, in the opening round of the Championships.